Sovngarde (Quest)
Sovngarde is a quest available in in which the Dragonborn must enter Sovngarde, the realm of Aetherius belonging to the Nordic god Shor, to reach Alduin who has been retreating there to consume the souls of Nord heroes and regain his strength. Background I've passed through Aduin's portal to Sovngarde, the realm of Aetherius where the souls of Nord heroes go to feast and battle until the final reckoning. Now to find Alduin and defeat him once and for all. Objectives #Find out how to defeat Alduin #Gain admittance to the Hall of Valor #Talk to the heroes of Sovngarde Walkthrough When entering Sovngarde, walk down the stairs, and there will be a Stormcloak Soldier. He will say that he cannot reach the Hall of Valor due to the deadly mist. In this mist, Alduin hunts for lost souls to gain power. After the conversation, follow the path through the mist. If one chooses to help the Stormcloak, he will be devoured. Note: One can clear the mist using the Clear Skies shout. Note: the soldier does not always start in the beginning, and there is a good chance the soldier will not be encountered until part way through the mist. Do not worry, the mist will not engulf the Dragonborn, as they speak with the soldier. If the player has killed Ulfric, his soul will be here, saying, "We can't get anything done in this fog" and will tell them to turn back. Also, Galmar Stone-Fist can be found saying, "Dragonborn, even in death you dog my steps?" and "How come you're here? The king of this realm will cast you out - cursed be your name by all sons of Skyrim, with scorn unceasing." Conversely, if they followed the Stormcloak quest, Rikke will be here if they killed her. Also, if they have finished the Companions quests, Kodlak Whitemane will be wandering in the fog. If they have completed the Bards College quest "Tending the Flames," they can see Svaknir, who wrote the verse they retrieved, along their path. Whalebone Bridge At the end of the path, the Hall of Valor comes into full view. The majestic building is situated at the far side of a great chasm that can only be reached by crossing the Whalebone bridge. In front of the bridge stands Tsun, the Nordic god of trials against adversity who will begin dialogue when approached. The first two questions give some background about Tsun and his relationship with Shor. He also gives some insight into the current situation in Sovngarde. In the last question, Tsun asks why he should allow the Dragonborn entry into the Hall of Valor. The right of birth will always be available, however the other options will only appear if the respective guild questlines have been completed. "What brings you, wayfarer grim, to wander here, in Sovngarde, souls-end, Shor's gift to honored dead?" Who are you? "I am Tsun, shield-thane to Shor. The Whalebone Bridge he bade me guard and winnow all those souls whose heroic end sent them here, to Shor's lofty hall where welcome, well earned, awaits those I judge fit to join that fellowship of honor." I pursue Alduin, the World Eater. "A fateful errand. No few have chafed to face the Worm since first he set his soul-snare here at Sovngarde's threshold. But Shor restrained our wrathful onslaught - perhaps, deep counselled, your doom he foresaw." I seek entrance to the Hall of Valor. "No shade are you, as usually here passes, but living, you dare the land of the dead. By what right do you request entry?" :By right of birth. I am Dragonborn. "Ah! It's been too long since last I faced a doom-driven hero of the dragon blood." :By right of glory. I lead the Companions of Jorrvaskr. "I welcome the chance to challenge the blade of Ysgramor's heir, honored shield-brother/sister to Kodlak Whitemane, whom I've watched for in vain." :By right of cleverness. I am Master of the College of Winterhold. "Well met, mage of Skyrim. The Nords may have forgotten their forefathers' respect for the Clever Craft, but your comrades throng this hall. Here in Shor's house we honor it still." :By right of blood. I Listen for the Night Mother. "You tresspass here, shadow-walker. Shor does not know you. Perhaps before the end you will earn the right to pass this way. Welcome I do not offer, but your errand I will not hinder, if my wrath you can withstand." :By right of plunder. I am a Nightingale of Nocturnal. "Do not mistake the night-shrouded thief's stealthily-taken spoils, stolen and unearned, for a warrior's plunder, won in honorable battle. Your doom already binds you to your dark mistress, but your errand I will not hinder, if my wrath you can withstand." ::Can I enter the Hall of Valor? "Living or dead, by decree of Shor, none may pass this perilous bridge 'till I judge them worthy by the warrior's test." This prompts a battle with Tsun. When his health reaches about 60%, he will yield and allow the Dragonborn to cross the bridge to the Hall of Valor. If they try to skip the test, they will die when they walk on the bridge - even if they have god mode on with console commands. :Note: If the player uses mist form as a vampire lord during this battle he will yield and allow them to cross Hall of Valor Upon entering the Hall of Valor, Ysgramor himself will greet the Dragonborn: Ysgramor: "Welcome, Dragonborn! Our door has stood empty since Alduin first set his soul-snare here. By Shor's command we sheathed our blades and ventured not the vale's dark mist. But three await your word to loose their fury upon the perilous foe. Gormlaith the Fearless, glad-hearted in battle; Hakon the Valiant, heavy-handed warrior; Felldir the Old, far-seeing and grim." He will instruct the Dragonborn to speak to Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Hakon One-Eye and Felldir the Old - the three heroes who defeated Alduin in the past. Approaching them will initiate the following dialogue: Gormlaith: "At long last! Alduin's doom is now ours to seal - just speak the word and with high hearts we'll hasten forth to smite the worm wherever he lurks." Felldir: "Hold, comrades - let us counsel take before battle is blindly joined. Alduin's mist is more than a snare - its shadowy gloom is his shield and cloak. But with four voices joined, our valor combined, we can blast the mist and bring him to battle." Hakon: "Felldir speaks wisdom - the World-Eater, coward, fear you, Dragonborn. We must drive away his mist, Shouting together, and then unsheathe our blades in desperate battle with our black-winged foe." Gormlaith: "To battle, my friends! The fields will echo with the clamor of war, our wills undaunted." Once their speech is completed, they will ready their weapons and charge outside to face Alduin. This completes the quest and begins Dragonslayer. Journal Gallery Sovngarde Sky.png|Sovngarde sky. Sovngardestatue.png|Sovngarde statue. Ysgramor.png|Ysgramor in Sovngarde. Hallofvalorview.png|Hall of Valor. Alduin Sky.png|Alduin against the sky. Tsun.png|Tsun waiting. Alduin Defeated.png|Alduin defeated. Trivia *When encountering the Stormcloak Soldier in the mist the player has the option of leading him but Alduin will kill the soldier. It can be averted by using the "Clear Skies" shout until reaching the Hall of Valor. *There is a Word Wall along the path through Sovngarde. It is blocked off with stone rubble, however, it is smaller than normal ones and even after Alduin's defeat, it appears to be inactive and unreachable. *If they try to get to the Hall of Valor before fighting Tsun, they will be killed either by lightning strikes or by instant death when reaching the end of the bridge. Bugs * Tsun might be "invincible" at some versions of the game, e.g. He will be bending down on the verge of death with a few strikes but does not yield. ** Use console command setstage MQ304 150. This will make Tsun "acknowledge" the player, and allow them to pass into the Hall of Valor. * The mist may either disappear entirely or appear as a very patchy and crude-looking mask over the player's view, ruining the effect. (Observed on a system with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti immediately after the upgrade to driver version 285.62 and confirmed still not working on beta driver version 295.51, February 20, 2012.) * As the player runs along the path with all of the mist, it is possible that the mist will disappear as they run. * Sometimes, if the player runs past Tsun onto the bridge without defeating him, it will state in the quest log that the player has defeated him, and he will stop attacking them. * Sometimes when you meet the heroes in the hall the quest will bug out and all dialogue will then stop and the quest will not continue. Can be worked around by talking to heroes then running outside to Sovngarde. de:Sovngarde (Quest) es:Sovngarde (misión) ru:Совнгард (Квест) uk:Совнґард (квест) fr:Sovngarde (Quête)